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Vaping is quite the popular pastime among young people. Many have been led to believe that e-cigarettes (which offer delicious juice flavors like banana mint, bubblegum, cake, coffee, and more) are less harmful than traditional smoking.

Over the years, people found that vaping helps them to relax, combat stress, and mingle with others in social settings. The design of vapes, along with their customizable features and small sizes that are easy to carry on one's person, also added to the widespread appeal.

Unfortunately, when it comes to e-cigarettes, all that glitters isn't gold. As it turns out, the flavors and creative designs aren't really worth the hype.

A study from the United Kingdom's Manchester Metropolitan University shows that vaping actually harms the lungs of young people to virtually the same degree as smoking.

Vaping can inflict serious, long-lasting damage to your health

Officials with the Manchester Metropolitan University asked 20 vapers of at least two years, 20 smokers of at least two years, and 20 non-smokers/non-vapers to document their lung capacity by exercising on static bikes.

This study ultimately revealed that while people who didn't smoke or vape managed to reach a maximum exercise capacity of 226 watts, smokers and vapers hit their ceiling at 182 watts. Similar findings emerged when accessing oxygen intake capabilities.

People who abstained from smoking and vaping could take in three liters of oxygen every 60 seconds. However, those who smoked only managed to ingest 2.6 liters, while those who vaped reached 2.7 liters.

In light of these discoveries, scientists are pushing back on the widely held notion that vaping is relatively harmless in comparison to smoking.

During today's European Respiratory Society conference in Austria, more insights into the study from Manchester Metropolitan University raised eyebrows. It turns out both vapers and smokers suffered from weaker blood vessels, more muscle fatigue, and considerable shortness of breath compared to their non-vaping, non-smoking counterparts.

Some researchers even believe that vaping can damage the brain (and other internal organs), while increasing one's likelihood of cancer due to DNA changes. This is largely attributed to e-cigarettes' liquids and aerosols, which sometimes carry traces of uranium and lead.